Day of Silence
by Lily Kalanoa
Summary: Duo learns about a protest and vows not to speak for a whole day. Trouble abounds, though, and he learns some ugly truths about the world after the war. Very good story about a magnificent cause. Please read, day of silence details inside.


**Author**: Lily Kalanoa

**Story**: Day of Silence

**Genre**: Gundam Wing - Drama

**Rating**: K+ to T / PG-13

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my laptop, which put me into significant debt. All characters and series belong to their respective creators, I just like to torture them, heh heh.

**Warnings**: Some very tough concepts including gay rights and gay bashing, very mild shounen ai.

**Pairings**: Background 3x4. NOT a 2xAnyone

**Spoilers**: I don't think there's any beyond general post war/preventor stuff

**Author** **Notes**: A few notes before I start. Timeline is post-war by a couple years, boys are 17-18, and in this little version of the GW world, Quatre is an executive and all four other boys work for the preventors. All the statistics are as accurate as possible – they are from psuedo official sites and I have checked them, but these are things that really have no firm numbers (You can prove anything with statistics, 43 of all people know that). Also, all the events in this story are based on real encounters, most of which happened to me, but some that happened to others. For those of you that don't know, the Day of Silence is a real thing and an event that I believe in very much. If I'd been clever, I would have written this a couple weeks ago so that everyone who reads this could participate if they wanted to. Sadly, I only got this idea during my vow of silence, so it was already too late. Sigh. If anyone _is_ interested and perhaps want to participate in the future, all the information can be found at dayofsilence. org (minus the space, of course). I hope you all _do_ take an interest, but even if you don't, I hope you like the story!

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Guys, guys! You've gotta hear about this great idea!" Duo burst into the dining area, where the rest of the gundam pilots were spread about the table. Heero and Trowa were both typing away on their laptops while WuFei and Quatre had reclined in their own chairs reading books. They all looked up at the braided boy's exclamation, setting aside their various means of entertainment to see what had captivated him so thoroughly. "This is one of the best things I've ever heard of, I thought you all might wanna participate, too!"

The former Shinigami reached the table and quickly emptied his arms. Several buttons and bandanas tumbled and rolled out in an effort to completely fill the piece of furniture. Looking somewhat dubious, WuFei lifted a button that came to rest in front of him. "Ask me why I'm silent," he read before looking up at Duo. "What is this?"

"It's for Day of Silence! It's so completely awesome! See, all around the world and the colonies, people take a vow of silence for a day. Hilde forwarded me the link just this morning or I woulda told you all a lot sooner, maybe organized something for the office. It's a protest by the LGBTSA community about the silence gays and lesbians face in their daily lives all year round." He beamed at the others, waiting for their reactions and clearly proud of his little speech.

Heero picked up another button, this one a rather bright red and mostly taken up by the word 'ally'. "This is something homosexuals do?"

Duo seemed to deflate a little. Clearly he had thought he'd explained everything that needed explaining and it took a moment to regain his momentum. "No, uh, not just homosexuals. The acronym is Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Transsexuals and their Straight Allies. Uh, there's actually a longer one, but I can't ever remember it all. It's a protest that's taken up by the entire community, and look! I got all the stuff for you guys if you wanted to participate too!" He took one of the bandanas, tying it around his bicep. "See, even if you don't wanna take the vow of silence, you can still show your support by wearing purple, like these. And the buttons are great to get the message across."

Smiling widely again, he held out one of the bandanas to Quatre. The blonde hesitated before taking it with a mumbled thank you. He began folding it into a little design, but Duo was already turning away from him. He held out another of the scarves to WuFei, but the Chinese boy made no move to take it. "So if I understand you correctly, this so called protest is for gay rights?"

Duo faltered again, his smile fading. "Well, no actually. It's about the silence the community is faced with all the time. Kids, teens and adults are harassed, discriminated against, bullied, beaten and worse. Every day! And they have nowhere to go, no one to ask about it or ask for help. It's a hell of a lot better nowadays, but there's still so much hate towards LGBT people. This is to draw attention specifically to that." He held the scarf out to WuFei again, but the other still didn't take it.

Behind him, Trowa's voice sounded hesitant. "If we wear these, won't people assume that we're gay?"

Duo turned toward him, but his eyes snagged on Quatre. The blond had finished fiddling with his bandana and it was now tucked into his front blazer pocket, less than an inch visible as the corners poked over the top. He was blushing, staring down at the tabletop. Duo's arm fell limply to his side and he could summon no more than a wan smile for the acrobat. "Does that really matter so much?" He asked in a suddenly small voice. "I mean, people might think that, I guess. But you can always tell them they're wrong. Even if they don't believe you, it's worth it for the cause, right? And I do have ally buttons, that'll tell people you're not gay."

"But only if they bother reading the button," Heero deadpanned, tossing the button he was looking at back towards the center of the table. "I don't want someone to assume something like that about me when it's not true." Duo was staring blankly at the boy's tank top, his eyes slowly falling further. Heero frowned slightly. "It's a worthy cause, Duo, but I'm just not a part of that world."

"Yeah, no, I understand." He tossed the bandana back onto the table before leaning forward to gather the supplies again. "I just thought you guys might be interested. It's okay." He stood, retreating from the room with another withered smile thrown over his shoulder. "I guess I'll be the only one not talking tomorrow, then."

WuFei snorted, turning back to his book. "Good luck with that."

Duo paused at the door, looking back at the other. "Whadaya mean?"

"Come on, Maxwell. We all know you couldn't be quiet for a whole day."

Duo was silent for a moment. With a quiet 'huh' he turned and left the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Duo walked into the preventor office beside Heero, large bag thrown over one shoulder and filled with various supplies. He was beaming as he practically skipped between the desks, lavender bandana proudly tied around his forehead. One of their coworkers caught sight of them and called out a greeting, coming towards them to exchange morning pleasantries and news. As he drew near, Duo's smile only grew and he waved exuberantly at the man. Quickly he pulled out a little sheet of paper and held it out to him before looking at Heero and pointing off towards Une's office.

Heero gave a minimalist grunt and watched him leave. The coworker was staring after the braided one in confusion. "What's up with him?"

"He took a vow of silence. It's a protest he's really excited about."

The man looked at the paper Duo had stuffed in his hand. "Day of silence? What's that, some sort of gay marriage thing? Those are all over the news nowadays."

"No," Heero took on the air of quoting as he recalled Duo's words. "It's about the silence the community is faced with all the time."

The other just continued to look confused. Suddenly Sally was beside the men. "It's a day of support for the lesbian and gay community, Chris."

The two men glanced at her, Heero immediately noting the lavender bandana tied around her upper arm. Chris just wrinkled his brow. "Support for what?"

Sally blinked at him, immediately speaking up. "Harassment. Violence against those people with differing orientations. Did you know almost half of all gays are still disowned by their families? One study found that kids hear homosexual slurs more than twenty times a day and almost all kids agree being called gay is one of the worst insults. Thirty percent of teen suicides today are by lesbian and gay kids, usually because of harassment. Even if you don't support the lifestyle, this sort of mistreatment is intolerable!" Chris looked somewhat browbeaten and glanced at Heero almost beseechingly. Sally subdued, smiling almost sweetly at the man. "Duo has a whole bunch of supplies, if you're interested."

"I-uh, maybe I'll go see him about that." Chris ducked his head in a little bow and turned, scurrying towards his own desk.

Heero was still watching Sally. He had the feeling she was going to be giving these little tirades all day long. He briefly wondered how many statistics she had memorized for today. "You're participating in this thing?"

Sally turned to him. "Of course! Oh, I wish I could've taken a vow like Duo, but it just can't be done. When you're working with patients in a clinic you don't have time to have someone read what you need if the poor man's bleeding out right in front of you!" She sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Heero just frowned slightly. "Are you gay, Sally-kun?"

This earned him a dark glare. "Of course not," she snapped. "But I'm an ally and this is a damn worthy cause! I run a free clinic when I'm not here and at least a quarter of my physical trauma patients were beaten because they're assumed to be gay whether it's true or not! I'm surprised you aren't at least showing support."

Heero blinked, surprised by the statement. "Why?"

It was Sally's turn to blink, looking slightly confused at the former pilot. "You do know Duo is gay, right? He's not flamboyant about it, but he's out and doesn't make much of a secret out of it. I have a lot of friends in the community, a lot of coworkers here, in fact. Why wouldn't you want to do anything you could to bring attention to this problem and help stop it?"

Heero thought about that for a moment, his frown growing. Unable to come up with a suitable answer, he turned towards his own desk, eager to get his mind on something he understood better and start the day.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was nearing lunchtime when Trowa ran into Duo near the vending machine. He smiled at the boy. "How's it going?"

Duo lifted one hand, shaking it side to side. Quickly he scribbled onto a palmtop and turned it towards the other teen. 'Not much support' it read.

"That's too bad. Sally's been ranting about hate crimes and harassment all morning. She's making quite an impact. Maybe being silent isn't the way to go about it?"

Duo scribbled frantically on his palmtop. 'She's giving facts, but people aren't listening – ten bucks.'

Trowa chuckled slightly. "No bet, I'm no sucker. I suppose you're right about that."

Duo snatched back his device. 'My silence draws attention, it makes people think. This is silence, not non-communication.'

Trowa shrugged, dropping the conversation – if it could be called that – as another coworker walked up, eyeing the candy machine eagerly. Duo jumped aside, clearing the path but thrusting one of his papers out at her.

The woman took it hesitantly, returning Duo's brilliant smile with an odd look. She punched the buttons on the machine and snatched her snack as quickly as possible, scurrying back towards the office proper. Trowa followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight. "Has everyone been like that?" he asked, referring to the rather obvious avoidance.

Duo shrugged and scribbled quickly before handing over his little computer. 'People are uncomfortable, but that's OK if they get the message. Une's letting me wander around today to confront more people and I left a bunch of stuff in the break room. The more people know about it, doesn't matter if they give me dirty looks.'

Trowa frowned, returning the device. "Still, it's gotta be rough dealing with this all day long." Duo just shrugged again, the barest tension visible in his features.

Another preventor came through the door and paused. "Oh, hi Duo." The brunette smiled brightly and waved as if they were on opposite sides of a sports field before holding out a slip of paper. "Oh, no, I already got one."

Trowa watched the man move up to the machine, choose something, and leave. There was a niggling sensation in his gut, uncomfortable with the entire exchange. The way the man had announced Duo's presence had been just slightly too bright, just a little too loud. It had been a warning, Trowa was certain, and he had heard more than one set of footsteps reverse and flee the area when it had been said. Looking at Duo he could see a bit more of the tension around his eyes and he knew the other had heard it too.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Heero?" The perfect soldier looked up at the hesitant question. A young intern stood in front of his desk, fidgeting slightly. She was wearing the by now familiar bandana over her hair, an ally pin glinting from her lapel. Her face was twisted with obvious concern, but she waited to say anything more until Heero had put the report he'd been working on back in its folder and set his pen aside. The girl licked her lips hesitantly. "You need to go to the break room."

Heero frowned. Her halting voice spoke more than the words and he put his folder away, quickly locking the desk and making his way across the building. He stopped in the doorway of the break room, surprised to see Duo elbow deep in soapy water, scrubbing at one wall. Scrawled in what looked like sharpie were the words God Hates. What exactly he was supposed to hate, Heero wasn't sure since Duo had already scrubbed that part away, but he had a fairly good idea. "Duo?"

The braided boy turned and, seeing Heero standing there, offered a strained smile. He glanced at the counter where his palmtop rested and then started looking around, apparently for a towel to dry his hands. Heero shook his head and stepped into the room properly. "I can read your lips. What . . ." He stopped, unsure how to phrase his question. His gaze drifted over the wall and Duo seemed to understand.

'This is the sort of thing I'm protesting,' he mouthed, resuming his scrubbing and trusting Heero to orient to where he could still see his mouth. 'I want to write something back, but it's not really proper, this being work and all.'

Heero glanced around at the things he realized Duo must have left here. A small stack of bandanas was drenched with coffee, tatters of paper could only be assumed to be the remains of the explanation flyers. There were several buttons on the floor and a glance in the waste bin showed the majority of them. Heero returned his attention to his comrade, noticing the slight shaking in his hands as he cleaned. "Does Une know?"

The other mutely shook his head. After a pause he started mouthing again, no sound coming from his throat. 'I wish I could start up a board here, tell whatever fuck did this that the bible never actually says anything bad about homosexuality, let them know that even if it were a sin, it's a greater sin to see these people beaten and killed for no good reason. It made Liz cry, though. She broke her vow to tell me because her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't write anything.'

Heero scowled. He knew Liz, she was an extremely nice transgender person, usually bubbly and full of energy. She was convincing, too; very few preventors knew she wasn't born a woman. Heero snatched up one of the remaining ally pins and moved over beside Duo. When he grabbed a wad of paper towels to begin scrubbing himself, the braided teen looked up at him with a small smile. The expression drained out of him as he caught sight of the pin, only to be reborn at double the shine. Heero just grunted, keeping an eye on the boy's lips to catch his words. "I never thought something like this would happen here. I'm sorry."

'It happens all over the world and it's never right. But this is really a good thing. People will hear about it and it'll just bring more attention to the problem. The martyr may suffer, but at least the message is heard.' He paused, turning to look over his shoulder at a soft knock.

Heero turned as well to see a mousy man he knew worked in records. He shuffled into the room and turned a paper so Duo could read it. Heero glanced over his friend's shoulder at the words. 'I heard about what happened and decided to participate. Do you have any more cards?'

Duo looked positively gleeful at this and he shot a quick 'told you' at Heero as he reached for his bag, ignoring his wet hands. The bag was dropped onto the table and Duo gave a wave that clearly meant take whatever you need. Idly Heero wondered how much money his friend had spent on these supplies.

He almost missed the look Duo shot the other man but it was followed by a thumb jerked in his direction, a clear question. The other man hesitated, looking Heero over carefully, then nodded quickly. Heero had to remind himself to look at Duo's mouth. 'Zach is gay, but hasn't come out publicly yet.' He glanced over his shoulder before continuing. 'Look, he's taking an ally pin, so he's still not out. You can't tell anyone, all right?' This was accompanied by a harsh look at Heero.

Heero looked at the man who was watching him with a worried expression. He offered a smile and it was returned hesitantly. "It's good to meet you, Zach." The man's smile grew slightly and he stuck out a hand proudly, reciprocating the greeting.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'll admit I'm impressed," WuFei commented as Duo passed his desk. It was four in the afternoon and the braided teen was heading out to the lunch truck that stayed near the building all day. He'd missed lunch and was eager to get something other than chips and soda into his system. He stopped at WuFei's voice and turned toward him, eyebrows raising in silent question. "According to everyone, you haven't said a word all day."

Duo's eyebrows creased down in confusion. Then he crossed his arms, just glaring at the Chinese boy. WuFei rolled his eyes. "If you want to tell me something, then do it. I know you have that little computer with you." Duo continued to glare until WuFei started to fidget. Finally the Chinese boy lowered his eyes, resuming his paperwork and after another minute Duo continued on his way.

Not long after, a commotion at the window drew the boy's attention and he stood to see what was going on. Several people were crowded to see out into the parking lot and just as WuFei walked up another worker asked what was going on. "It's gonna be great," someone else replied. "A bunch of people are going to try and get Duo to talk."

WuFei's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

The man laughed. "It'll be hilarious. Just like those guards in England, ya know? Granted, Duo can kick their asses and he's going to beat them to a pulp when he snaps and says something-" The man turned around to look at whom he was speaking to. Recognizing WuFei, he froze, all the color draining out of his face. "Ah, agent Chang . . . uh."

WuFei glared a moment before turning and stalking away from them. He was outside in minutes, quickly approaching the crowd that had gathered. He could see Duo in the center, two men and a woman heckling him. The braided teen looked relaxed, watching them as they taunted. One of the men stepped forward, leering. "So, you're gay, right? Does Une know? Does she still let you go on missions with guys?"

Duo wrote something on his tablet and held it so the other could see. The man's face twisted in rage and he struck out, knocking the tiny computer out of his hands. The woman picked it up from where it had landed and burst out laughing. "Ha! Why, you interested? That's hilarious!"

"Shut up!" The man stalked forward, hand tangling in Duo's shirt. "Fucking girl. You think you're funny?"

Duo's eyes arched up in a smile and he nodded enthusiastically. The man balled his fist as if to strike Duo, but his friend interrupted the motion. He slid between the two men, forcing the other to release Duo. "So, who's your boyfriend?" He asked quickly.

One corner of Duo's mouth quirked up in a 'wouldn't you like to know' expression. WuFei was surprised at how easy it was to read his friend's face. The woman was the next to speak, attacking her supposed friends again between giggles. "Now you're asking? Man, Maxwell's got his pick of the litter, doesn't he?" She was bent double with laughter and now both the men were glaring at her.

Duo was clutching his stomach as well, shoulders shaking in a silent laughing fit. The second man, the one that had stopped his friend earlier, shoved against his shoulder and Duo stumbled back a few steps before straightening, still smiling at his opponents. "Come on," the first man muttered. "You know him and Yuy are fucking each other. Hell, probably all four of them are in some huge gay orgy."

This made Duo laugh even harder and WuFei could read his lips from where he was. 'Heero? Man, that's classic! And Fei, you've gotta be kidding me!' WuFei wasn't sure if he was more angry at Duo's laughing at him or for the other man's accusation. He let his anger fuel him and turned to the nearest person. "Why are you just watching this?"

The woman didn't meet his eyes. "If I do something, they'll just assume I'm a lesbian. Maxwell can take care of himself, right?"

Another voice sounded on his other side. "These jerks are going to deserve what they get."

Suddenly WuFei couldn't take it anymore. "So that makes it okay to stand here and let it happen?" Several people turned to him, but WuFei didn't care as he yelled. "What if it wasn't Duo? What if you didn't know he could fight? You'd let someone go through this just because you don't want to get involved! This is why these people are afraid to let anyone know what their orientation is, if they aren't beaten to a pulp and disowned, their met with complete apathy and no help whatsoever!"

Those faces around him began to look slightly guilty. WuFei opened his mouth, intending to say more, but he fell silent at the sound of someone landing a punch. The teasing had continued behind him, but he had been engrossed in his own rant about this injustice. Now he turned, with everyone else, to see the first man standing with his fist held out. Duo was a few steps away, head bent and obviously having just received the punch square on his jaw. After a second he straightened, looking at the man. The larger man looked somewhat terrified, realizing that he could now be killed a dozen times before he could do anything else. Duo just smiled.

After a moment, the man's face dissolved into a frown. He stepped forward, shoving Duo's shoulder again. Duo moved with it, but did nothing else. Gaining courage, the other two moved forward and it quickly degraded into a shoving match, Duo allowing himself to bounce between the three antagonizes. After nearly a minute of this, WuFei shook out of the shock, looking around at the crowd. He realized they had all gone back to watching this atrocity and no one was going to do anything to stop it. Feeling suddenly sick, he realized he was doing the exact same thing.

WuFei forced his way through the crowd. He wished he knew which of these geniuses had started this so he could properly direct his fury. Instead he chose the nearest target. His fist connected solidly with the man's jaw less than a second after he pushed Duo away from him. WuFei was proud to note the man crumpled to the ground and didn't get up again. The others were so startled they completely abandoned their game and Duo faltered back an extra step, forced to regain his balance on his own.

"You think this is okay!" He screamed at the two of them, stepping towards them. "Duo hasn't done anything to any of you! He's done nothing except be one of our best agents and this is how you repay him when he stands up for something important?"

The woman smirked, but took a few steps away. "Guess he's not screwing Yuy after all." WuFei was also proud to note that he still moved faster than almost any other preventor as he watched her double over his kick and drop to the ground.

Unfortunately for WuFei, Duo was one of the few that could match his speed. The punch rocked his head to one side and he looked back at the furious American in surprise. Duo was flushed, his teeth bared, but he said nothing. After another moment he sidestepped the Chinese teen and stalked back toward the building. He paused at the circle of people that had gathered to watch the scuffle. At least one good thing would come from this, WuFei thought as he noticed the way no one would meet Duo's eyes.

Without warning, Duo spun back to WuFei, thrusting a small stack of flyers out to him. WuFei hesitated before taking the papers. As Duo rushed from the gathering, WuFei looked down at them before looking back at the group, ready to pass them out. He was surprised to see the coworkers forming a vague line in front of him, patiently waiting to receive the information.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"They'll be ready tomorrow. We'll have to put you under to implant them, so no breakfast and get someone to drive you home, all right? And next mission you go on, try to come back with all your own teeth." Sally sighed as the man nodded and stood to leave, his mouth packed full of cotton. "I'll make an appointment for you to see a real dentist, too. All right, who else do we have today?" Sally followed the man as he left the clinic and poked her head out into the waiting room.

Duo was standing with his back to the wall. He held out a flyer to the man that passed him, but didn't press as he was sidestepped. Sally rushed over to him, ignoring the other three people in the room – none of them were even bleeding, they could wait a few minutes. "My god, Duo! What happened?" The American opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut. He reached for his pockets, but came back empty, realizing he'd left his palmtop back with his bullies. Sally seemed to realize it at the same time and stepped over to the receptionist window. "Here," she said, snatching the receptionist's own clipboard and holding it out for Duo to take.

Duo did and quickly wrote just a few words. 'Hazing. Bastards. WuFei interfered.'

Sally frowned darkly and tilted Duo's face up. "I pronounce you'll live. Who else was involved, I have a feeling they'll need more treatment than this little bump."

Duo smiled, twitching at the pain it caused, and took back the clipboard.

Twenty minutes later, Sally was filling up all the space around WuFei's desk. "You almost broke Conner's jaw," she snarled, voice quiet but dangerous.

The teen's eyes snapped up – the closest he ever came to a flinch – and he set aside the paperwork he'd been studying. "Almost being the key word. He deserved it anyway."

"I'm reporting you to Une."

WuFei surged to his feet, furious. "What! That's ridiculous! I was standing up for Duo when nobody else would, you can't charge me for that!"

"I'm reporting you to Une because Duo won't do anything himself no matter how much he wants to and he'd only be angry with me if I beat you up myself." She moved around the desk, snatching at WuFei's chin and forcing him to look up at her. "And you should have come to the clinic to have this checked out, Duo could have easily broken _your_ jaw with one punch."

"I knew my jaw wasn't broken." The boy was glaring at her. "What do you mean, no matter how much he wants to?"

For a time Sally was silent, examining the swelling. When she released him with a sigh, she leaned against his desk. "You attacked two people."

"No one else would help him."

"That's not the point, Chang. Day of Silence is a peaceful protest. Violence – even justified – has no place today. That's why he wasn't fighting himself. Duo is more than capable of protecting himself, he was trying to accomplish something by taking the punishment." Sally turned away from him, looking out over the office. "I know a half dozen different people that have decided to come out because of what has happened here today. First that shit in the break room and now this."

WuFei was glaring at his desk. "Are there really so many people in preventors?"

Sally returned to glaring at him. "One transsexual, two lesbians, and three bisexual men who have all been hiding what they are. Four of them work here and you'll find out soon enough. The other two are medical workers that I've told about all this. There are at least a hundred people that have been inspired to do _something_; they want to help Duo now that they've seen exactly what it is he's fighting against. What about you, Chang? What are you doing to end the silence?"

WuFei brushed past Sally angrily. "Punching out anyone I see doing something like that again."

"Violence isn't the answer this time, Chang."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was time to go home and Duo was starting to show the strain of the day. He still smiled and was still passing out flyers to everyone he passed, but even new preventors – kids that didn't even have real war experience – were starting to comment that he looked tired. Duo met all these accusations with a smile and a slight nod. Actual conversation had slowed considerably since the loss of his palmtop, but he still tried to answer questions, now relying on a stack of three by five cards.

Heero had found the miniature device, but it had been practically destroyed. Nothing the boys couldn't fix, but it would have to wait until they had considerably more time and were around their own equipment. Heero walked beside his braided friend as they moved to the parking lot, eager to end the day himself. Trowa met them at the door, closing in Duo between them. "Thank god this day is finally over." Duo nodded in silent agreement. "How long is your vow going to last?"

Heero gave a sigh. "He's said it won't end until at least midnight. WuFei still thinks he can't do it and he's determined to prove him wrong." Duo nodded again in agreement, a slight blush pinkening his cheeks.

Trowa raised one eyebrow, studying his friend. "Why are you so intent on proving yourself to him? We all know how hot-headed he can be, you usually don't let him get to you like this." Duo just shrugged, avoiding the question completely.

They got halfway from the office building to their car before any of the boys noticed anything wrong. Almost in synchronization, the three boys looked up, each quickly scanning the area for any possible threat. Heero's hand ghosted to the small of his back and the pistol he still kept there as he separated from the others slightly for a better angle. Duo and Trowa kept moving as if nothing were wrong, eyes twitching ahead in the only sign they knew something was wrong.

At the exact instant Heero's hand pulled away from his own gun, Duo's head shot up and he broke away from Trowa. Their supposed threat came into view around a pair of large SUVs – Quatre had parked beside them and was sitting on the trunk of his car, waiting. Duo reached Quatre's side well ahead of the others and paused, looking over the blonde. He was wearing a black blazer, the lavender bandana standing out clearly against the fabric. It was sticking out considerably more than the previous night and Duo's eyes were drawn inexorably to a white 'ask me why I'm silent' button on his opposite lapel. Duo met the other's eyes with a questioning look.

Quatre himself looked miserable. He met Duo's eyes only briefly with a nod before focusing on Trowa as he joined them. As soon as the acrobat was within reach, Quatre wrapped arms around his back in a desperate hug, burying his face in the boy's chest. "What's going on? Quatre, what's wrong?"

After a moment of comfort, the blonde pulled away. He reached out, cupping the acrobat's face between his hands and leaned forward again, kissing him deeply. Duo and Heero exchanged a puzzled look before turning back to the pair, both silent and curious. Freed from the kiss, Trowa looked over at the others. "Quatre and I have been dating for a few months now," the taller teen said simply, no trace of embarrassment in his voice.

Heero nodded in apparent understanding. "You haven't come out yet, have you?"

Quatre raised his hand, still looking miserable, and Trowa shook his head. "It was Quatre's decision." He glanced at the blonde and then back at the others. "We should leave, go somewhere to get some dinner." He wrapped one arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulled him down off the trunk, maneuvering until they were both standing at the back door. A driver appeared from inside the car, opening the door for the two boys to climb in. "Meet at Mike's Burgers in ten minutes?" Trowa called over his shoulder.

Heero grunted and guided Duo to their own car.

The entire story came out over dinner. Duo and Quatre were passing Quatre's palmtop back and forth, using note cards when one of the other boys was reading their scribbled messages. A good portion of Duo's comments were mouthed in silence, Heero translating since the others were usually reading and wouldn't see for themselves.

Quatre had lost a client. A big, extremely important client. All because he wouldn't talk. Apparently, after Duo had planted the idea in his head the previous night, Quatre had decided he would at least spread the word about day of silence. During one of his first meetings of the day, Quatre had told his clients about the protest and they had laughed. Incensed about their reaction, Quatre had stopped speaking then and there. The client had laughed harder, and when he finally realized it wasn't a joke, he'd left. A second client later in the day refused to do business with – quote – "some faggot freak".

Duo took the card that was written on, tore it into several pieces, put them on the table and spit on them, much to the amusement of their waitress. The girl leaned over with a dishtowel, wiping up the mess and smiling at the two silent boys. "Don't listen to people like that, they don't know anything. My best friend is dating my sister right now. Only reason anyone should be mad at any gay man is for taking cuties like you away from poor girls like me." She pouted and leaned away before leaning back and depositing a plate in the center of the table.

Heero looked at the cake and then back at the retreating waitress. "Well, I'd say you two have got a fan. Did we order that?"

Duo shook his head and quickly plopped a large slice onto his plate. Quatre still looking like he was under a storm cloud, but he smiled as Trowa moved a piece of cake onto his plate. Duo poked Heero to take up the storytelling and he began filling in Quatre about the events of their own hectic day. Near the end of the tale, the waitress returned, stealing a hug from Duo as she took their empty plates. The American giggled madly and spun, pecking the woman on her cheek. He scribbled on one of his cards and handed it to her. 'I needed to meet someone like you. Thanks.'

She circled the table and stole a hug from Quatre as well. "Anything for you sweeties. Sounds like you had a rough day all around. Just know that not everyone out there are morons and idiots. Your real friends will stand by your side no matter what you do." Quatre reached up, returning the hug with a brilliant smile. "It'll work out. And if it doesn't, you come back here and I'll give you more free cake."

-o-o-o-o-o-

As the day drew to a close, it found the five former gundam pilots once again gathered together, this time in the sitting room. Heero was steadily tapping away at his laptop, this time surfing the web for more information about various events in the LGBT community. When he came across an interesting fact, he would mention it to the others and save the page before continuing on. Trowa had sacrificed his laptop to Quatre and Duo and the two were eagerly typing messages back and forth between each other while the acrobat read over their shoulders.

WuFei was grumpily watching television on the far end of the room. After he'd been given a minimalist version of Quatre's day, he'd awkwardly offered sympathy before retreating from the group. He barely gave an ear to the clicking of computer keys, browsing several news channels until something caught his eye. "Duo, you're on the news!"

For a second, silence prevailed in the room and WuFei fumbled to raise the television's volume. The scene showed several people sitting in a circle, each holding signs heralding an end to hate crimes and violence. The scene changed, showing what appeared to be a family including three small children, all with duct tape over their mouths and holding similar signs. The scene changed over and over again while the anchorwoman's voice provided a monologue. "Today was a day of protest for people across Earth and the colonies. The day of silence is a way for people in the Gay community to bring attention to the hardships and violence they face every day. With their signature saying – what are you doing to end the silence – this year has been more successful than years past partly because of the involvement of several big names in the business world."

The scene changed again to a large park. Several people were lying on the grass as if dead, each surrounded by yellow crime tape emblazoned with the day of silence motto. Each lay beside a large poster that proclaimed the same types of statistics Sally had been spouting all day long. The camera swept along the scene, showing the protestors and the people that had gathered to see it, coming to rest on none other than Hilde. The woman had tape over her mouth and a tape recorder in one hand. Staring into the camera's lens, she held out the device and hit play. "Today is international day of silence, a day that brings the Lesbian community together to tell the world what is being done to us. Until you know about the silence I face, you will not hear my voice or the voice of my friends. Do you hate us for what we are? Do you do nothing but watch as we are ostracized from society and denied even our basic rights? What are you doing to stop the silence?"

"Numerous gatherings like this have been held all throughout the day," the announcer continued. "Gay men and lesbian women, bisexuals, transgenders, crossdressers, and thousands of straight allies have spread the word of today to anyone willing to listen."

Quatre squeaked in surprise as the screen showed a clean-cut businessman that worked for him. "You would think that today people would tolerate anything, but that's simply not the case. Centuries ago people were beaten and killed simply because of the color of their skin. Women were thought of as less than human, entire races and religions were persecuted and the victims of genocide. Today, the company I work for lost two major clients because my boss took part in today's protest. These people are basically saying that they refuse to do business with someone who is standing against the mass murder of innocent human beings!"

The scene changed again and there was a shocked gasp from Duo as he found himself on the screen. It was a poor quality video of his almost-beating that day, obviously taken from an upper floor of the preventor building. "This video was sent to us from an anonymous viewer, bringing our attention to the day's goings on. This young man was a victim of a vicious prank brought on by his silence today."

Another voice ghosted over the footage and Heero was surprised to recognize it as belonging to Liz. "This is the sort of thing that happens because someone is standing up for us. This is what we go through simply because of how God made us." WuFei could be seen rushing into the conflict. "Out of almost fifty people watching, only one is willing to help. What if he were your friend? How can this be right even if he's a stranger? What will it take to make you listen to us?"

All the speaking stopped as the video continued to show scenes of the day's protests, clearly taken from all around the world. The pictures of peaceful protests and shocking displays were intermixed with other clips of people being beaten and harassed. The images changed faster and faster before finally coming to a halt on a black screen, lavender letters staring out at the room: What Are You Doing?

WuFei reached out, shutting the machine off before it could return to the anchormen. He looked around the room, eyes resting on Duo's shocked face. For a moment the two stared at each other in silence. Duo came out of his shock first, smiling quietly at the Chinese man. WuFei looked away quickly and nodded, speaking to the wall as he climbed to his feet. "I was wrong."

There was no elaboration, but Duo's smile only grew. "You're forgiven," he whispered, the first words he'd spoken all day long. WuFei glanced back at him, but with one small smile he fled the room. Duo was suddenly on his feet. "It is twelve oh two and I don't know about you guys, but I could really use a beer!"

Quatre laughed and stood, leading the way into the kitchen. "I want to hear more about that fight! Heero didn't mention Fei was there." Trowa followed his boyfriend, arms wrapping around him from behind.

Duo pointed at them accusingly. "And this! I want to know about this! How long have you two been going out? You couldn't have told me? I mean really, _me_!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-

**A / N 2: **Hello all, Kalanoa here to add another note to this story. Firstly, the success of this story in just its first day up is inspiring, so thank you all. The reason for this update, though, is my annonymous review. It's too bad this person didn't leave me an e-mail, I've been returning all my reviews with many thanks. Oh well. Apparently, this person knows their Bible! So I figured I really should put a reply here for everyone.

The review: First things first, I wanted to tell you that I really liked this story. However, in the middle of it you had Duo "say" that the Bible never actually says anything bad about homosexuality, and that is not true. Leviticus 20:13 says that "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." This is not the only verse. If you do a Google search on the Bible and homosexuality you will find others. I am not trying to write a flame here, and I am not saying that I agree with this verse. I just wanted to point out that technically the Bible does condemn homosexuality. Still, overall this was a very good and well-written story.

He is correct about Leviticus. However, many in the LGBT community point our two flaws with this argument. The first is that homosexuals don't lay with men as they do with women, there is no desire for procreation (which was the main concern in the times of the bible before our world was so grossly overpopulated). Now, it depends on your interpretation of that passage whether or not that was what was meant. But the second argument is that later in the bible, Jesus disclaims everything that was said in Leviticus! Anyway, there _are_ arguments against homosexuality in the bible, but most arguments in the religious community are based on _interpretations_ of the bible – often twisted or wrong interpretations. This is the view Duo takes in this story, regardless, but it's good to get both sides of the message out there.

What I really like about this review is that he pointed out this (admitted) flaw in my story without flaming! He is pointing out a very valid argument even though he says he doesn't agree with it. I do wish he'd left an e-mail, but oh well. Thanks guy!

On an interesting note, I'm not very religious and only know a few of the arguments in the religious world. However, is many branches of Buddhism, particularly in India, homosexuals and transsexuals are not really accepted in society. However, they face far less violence and harassment because they are viewed as being punished in this life for some transgression in their past lives. Certainly not the best view of the community, but an interesting one, none the less.


End file.
